There are two types of buttermilk. Traditional buttermilk is a thin, cloudy, slightly tart but…

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C and dust a baking sheet with flour. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then rub in the butter. Pour in the buttermilk and mix it in quickly with a table knife, then bring the dough together very lightly with your fingertips (handle it very, very gently). Now shape it into a flat, round loaf measuring 20cm/8in in diameter.

Put the loaf on the baking sheet and score a deep cross in the top. (Traditionally, this lets the fairies out, but it also helps the bread to cook through.) Bake for 30-35 minutes until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. If it isn’t ready after this time, turn it upside down on the baking sheet and bake for a few minutes more.

Transfer to a wire rack, cover with a clean tea towel (this keeps the crust nice and soft) and leave to cool. To serve, break into quarters, then break or cut each quarter in half to make 8 wedges or slices – or simply slice across. Eat very fresh.

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Comments, questions and tips

Made this lots of times and it always turns out perfect. Like the recipe states it's better not to overhandle it which is tempting as the dough is very sticky. I mix it up in the bowl and get it into a roundish shape with a palette knife before tipping it out onto the baking sheet and if further shaping is necessary I use the palette knife again before cutting the cross on the top. Easy and delicious.

Manila1710

23rd Oct, 2017

I tried this bread, but the dough was more like a cake mixture. I had to add extra flour to shape it. The taste turned out to be great, but my cake got broken from the side. I guess, probably I could not give a good shape due to the gooyee texture. I will try again with less quantity of butter milk. Could anyone suggest how to stop the breaking? My guess is the misshapen ball of the bread. I will appreciate any help.

Kate Corbs

10th Oct, 2017

5.05

Fail proof. We use un pasturised milk which goes off quickly so we often have milk on the turn - leave it for about 4 days out of the fridge and you will have delicious buttermilk. But, any milk going off is usable. You can add any other leftover milks/creams from the fridge - I've used old double cream, yoghurt, and normal milk if you need to top up.

cannonball81

29th May, 2017

5.05

I have baked this bread almost every week since discovering it! I throw all the ingredients together and dump the whole thing on a dusted baking tray before quickly and lightly shaping it into a mound. Great bread and the best recipe I've tried being Irish myself ;)

jrodgers

11th Jan, 2017

3.8

As others have said, it was great! Mine was extremely sticky, so next time I'll put it in a greased bread tin as suggested. We had it with poached eggs and smashed avocados from the January BBC diet collection, beacause I couldn't find the seeds to make their suggested seeded soda bread. It did take 40 minutes to bake and was still a bit gummy in the middle, even in the convection oven.

Zelda247

26th Aug, 2016

5.05

Mine was a tad gooey as well so I spooned the mixture into a greased loaf tin and it turned out perfect. I did cook for 45 mins though. Could not recommend this recipe highly enough its so simple and turns out a perfect loaf. I have been making bread for about 10 years now and never achieved a tastier loaf than this one.

DM-25

11th Jul, 2016

Simple and quick recipe. The bread comes out so moist and tasty. I would highly recommend it, I've made it 5-6 times at this stage.

Voodelers

8th May, 2016

5.05

Best Soda Bead recipe yet and I've tried a few!! !...Didn't use Oats though used 50g of Wheat germ and 50G of Bran instead turned out perfect love that it keeps for a few days too

bikerbell

3rd May, 2016

I have made this 3 times now, so quick and easy.
My mix seemed quite dry, maybe because I used oat bran instead of porridge oats. The next time I'll add more liquid. Found that the loaf kept well for a few days when wrapped in cling film.

arnie_pipe

25th Apr, 2016

5.05

This worked perfectly and was really simple. I just had to add a splash of water to bring it together. I wasn't sure what it was meant to be like, but my Irish friend was a big fan and complimented the crusty exterior and soft inside. I would definitely make again :-)

Pages

This sounds delicious. Can't get buttermilk here so will try with yoghurt. Should I use sane quantity (500 ml) or a bit less for yoghurt? Thanks for any help.

Larsie

28th Jul, 2013

Please convert to American ounces, love your recipes.
Lars in Florida

Okla

12th Mar, 2017

Here in the States, store bought buttermilk is much thicker than regular milk. So, if I were using regular milk mixed with lemon juice or vinegar, I would use less than the buttermilk. That may help you avoid too wet a dough. Also, I'm surprised to see butter in a soda bread recipe. I've been lead to believe that Irish soda bread is made with only four ingredients: flour, salt, soda, and buttermilk or sour milk. But, every cook has the license to make his or her recipe, his or her own. :)

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